• After law school, Scott went to work as an attorney for Burch & Cracchiolo from 1984 to 1988. Most of his work involved complex securities fraud litigation. Occasionally, Scott was able to handle Indian law matters including lead counsel in litigation obtaining a judgment under civil rights laws against the Gila County Sheriff’s Department for failure to adequately train county law enforcement officers regarding limits of state jurisdiction on Indian Land. Yee v. Gila County Sheriff’s Department. This experience motivated Scott to change direction so that he could devote more attention to Native American issues.
Extortion
“it is frustrating that we must take this Governor to Court to force him to honor the agreement the State made with the Tribes in 1999. His legacy will be one of extortion. Today’s decision, together with the earlier order in the Rincon litigation that he acted illegally and in bad faith, together with the decision in litigation brought by the Colusa Band will bring and end to this illegal agenda” said Rincon Attorney General Scott Crowell.
Provide comprehensive legal advice and represent the CTEC Board of Directors, the President and CEO, and CTEC Administration in all facets of the operation, including corporate governance, statutory and regulatory requirements as well as financial, employment, and environmental matters. Represent CTEC in tribal, federal and state court litigation, negotiations and alternative dispute resolution. Oversee the hiring and performance of specially retained counsel. Advise individual enterprise managers, oversee corporate contracting, and advise HR on personnel matters and employee grievances and appeals.
Upon graduation from law school and passage of the Texas bar examination, Chris went to work for Butler & Binion, one of the “big four” downtown law firms in Houston, Texas. Chris worked in the firm’s real estate section from 1985-1993. At Butler & Binion, Chris had the opportunity to represent both large and small clients in a variety of sophisticated real estate matters, including real estate financing, real estate acquisition, project development, contract drafting, and deal negotiation. Representative clients included Armco Steel, First Interstate Bank, and First Bank System of Minneapolis. As one of the lead attorneys representing the FSLIC and RTC during their takeover of failed savings and loan associations, Chris was one of the first attorneys to walk through the door at Western Savings and Loan Association during its takeover, and to uncover numerous discrepancies in its real estate loan practices. During his time at Butler & Binion, Chris learned first-hand the need for precise drafting of documents to accurately reflect his clients’ intentions and needs; a skill which Chris relies upon heavily to this day.
Land Use and Zoning
Other areas of special emphasis included: planning, zoning and land use issues; environmental matters; water quality and rights protection; tribal code development; and, child welfare matters.